Description

This book, the first to bridge the gap between the separate fields of Mormon history and women’s history, probes the identity of Mormon women, both past and present-their history, doctrine, and current situations. Sisters in Spiritoffers nine thought-provoking essays and two poems on being female in the Mormon culture. These essays, all written by scholars who are themselves women, interpret contemporary Mormon practices as seen against 150 years of doctrinal and cultural development.

The authors include penetrating discussions on statements about motherhood, the doctrine of Mother in Heaven, the role of the temple and its ceremonies, the dynamics of Mormon sisterhood, power and decision-making in Mormon marriages, women’s “working definitions” of priesthood, interpretations of Eve, and the Mormon scriptures’ view of women.

Contents:

Foreward, Jan Shipps

Preface, Maureen Ursenbach Beecher

The Redemption of Eve, Jolene Edmunds Rockwood

Precedents for Mormon Women from Scriptures, Melodie Moench Charles

The Mormon Concept of a Mother in Heaven, Linda P. Wilcox

Oil upon Oil, Maryann MacMurray

Mormon Women and the Temple: Toward a New Understanding, Carol Cornwall Madsen

Gifts of the Spirit: Women’s Share, Linda King Newell

Full Circle, Maryann Macmurray

“Strength of Our Union”: The Making of Mormon Sisterhood, Jill Mulvay Derr